Bowl-a-thon helps Hillsdale High bowling teams

Monday

Nov 11, 2013 at 9:28 AMNov 11, 2013 at 9:28 AM

By Matt DurrTwitter: @mdurrHDN

HILLSDALE — With the bowling season fast approaching, the Hillsdale High School bowling teams needed to find a way to raise money for the upcoming season. So, they did what they do best and hit the lanes.Members of the team and various other supporters took part in a bowl-a-thon Sunday with all proceeds going to help the HHS bowling teams this season."It takes a lot of money to run a bowling team," said head coach Randy Preston.According to Preston, the team pays $60 per match during the season and must pay for each practice round it has when not in competition. Needless to say those costs add up quickly. Luckily for the teams, the HHS boosters club has helped with a nice percentage of the cost, but the two teams still have to find other ways to raise funds."We couldn't do this without the boosters," Preston said.Sunday's event marked the third year the team has held the fundraiser prior to the start of the season. Sophomore Hailey Osborn spearheaded the campaign this year which brought about 50 people to Hillsdale Lanes. Along with reserving the lanes, Osborn had to seek donations from local businesses for either cash donations or door prizes."It took a lot of work to get them because we had to talk with the bosses and stuff like that," Osborn said. "Once we did that, the other stuff we needed we had to go buy with our own money."Osborn said she made posters and hung them around the high school and the town to let people know what was going on. The teams also sell chocolates during the season, host car washes and find other ways to raise money."It takes a lot of dedication and a lot of my time," Osborn said, adding that it was worth it to put in that much time.Those who participated in the fundraiser paid $15 for three games which were not played in the traditional manner. Bowlers played 8-pin and 9-pin no tap games, which are variations of bowling where a strike occurs if the bowler knocks down eight or nine pins in their first ball.Along with coach Stan Hutchinson, Preston said they started the bowl-a-thon three years ago and have had success each year. Preston said that after collecting all the money from donors, the teams have to pay for the lanes used. Thankfully they have made around $400 per fundraiser in the past few years. The HHS bowling season starts on Nov. 18 when tryouts will be held.